


From the Ground Up

by WatchTheAntagonist



Series: Work My Way Up [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Big Brother Dick Grayson, Court of Owls, Damian Wayne is a Small Assassin Child, Dick Grayson is a Talon, Gen, Jason Todd is a Talon, Past Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-11
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-04-21 13:26:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 18,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14285892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WatchTheAntagonist/pseuds/WatchTheAntagonist
Summary: There is a mole in Young Justice, and Dick can only say with complete confidence that it isn't him or his brothers. Unsure who to trust and still adjusting to working with a team, Dick isn't sure who to turn to when his past with the Court of Owls catches up with him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again! First chapter of part two has been completed! I'd recommend reading part one first, but if you need a refresher this is set in an alternate universe where Bruce never adopted any of the robin boys but they found each other anyways. In the last installment Dick (along with Jason, Tim, and Damian, though not officially) joined Young Justice. The characters are older here in order to make the story make sense, and I'm messing around a bit with when things happened in the timeline. Anyways, this part is set during the events of season one, and will deal with the Court of Owls and feature some of the batgirls! (I'm super excited to write them). I hope you enjoy, and drop me a comment if you do:)

                Dick was attempting to subtly find someone to punch him. So far, it wasn’t going very well. He got that joining Young Justice meant going on undercover missions, they were a covert ops team, after all. He just hadn’t expected it to be this boring. Or require him to wear a suit.

                _“When is this guy going to show up?”_ Dick asked through the mindlink that M’gann had set up. He had told Jason that he would be home by midnight.

                _“We don’t know when he’s going to show, or if. It’s likely that he’ll make an appearance, but not guaranteed,”_ Kaldur replied. Dick sighed, wondering if the sound would carry through the link. Even after going on a handful of missions with the team, he wasn’t entirely sure what was picked up by the link and what wasn’t. It had only been repeated reassurances from M’gann and Wally that they wouldn’t hear anything he didn’t want them to in order to convince him to agree to be telepathically linked to the rest of the team. He still wasn’t sure he was in love with the idea, but he couldn’t deny its usefulness.

                _“Stop complaining and get back to work,”_ Artemis said. Dick was still trying to figure out if she disliked him in particular or just disliked everyone on principle.

                Dick sighed at set down the cup of punch he had picked up. He braced himself before putting on a charming smile and making his way back into the crowd. He smiled at a group of college girls as he passed by, and they giggled at him, one beckoning him over. He grinned back at them and walked over, prepared to continue to chat and try to extract information as to which of them was the girlfriend of the mob boss who supposedly was going to come by. In all honesty, he was really wishing that one of the other team members had his part. No matter how he tried to fish for information about a potential criminal boyfriend, they tended to interpret his questions the wrong way. This group didn’t appear to be any different. He continued chatting with the group, and when he tried to casually bring it up they all denied having a boyfriend or coming to the party with someone. Meanwhile, a group of guys glared at him.

                Which brought him back to his other goal for tonight. His contract stated that he got a bonus for injuries, even minor ones. And his previous job had literally been getting paid for being punched, so he was totally not above using that. Plus, he was pretty sure that the guy they were supposed to find was a no-show and he was starting to get really, really bored.

                Dick laughed at something the girl next to him had said. It had been referencing some television show he hadn’t seen, and he’d totally lost track of the conversation while his mind had drifted, but Dick had always been good at reading social cues. He could laugh when he was supposed to without even thinking about it. When the girls started to get frustrated with the choices of some reality show he’s never heard of he can feign indignation as easily as breathing. And when one of the girls leans in closer, a blush on her face as she tries to make her hand brushing his seem accidental, he can smile and lean down to whisper a quick compliment in her ear.

                _“Stop flirting, this is serious,”_ Artemis said in his head. Dick ignored her. The guy who had been staring at them earlier had started to walk over. Dick pretended not to notice that either and continued laughing with the girl. She ran her hand up his arm and Dick smiled at her.

                All of a sudden, the vents above their head went off, blasting them with cold air. The two sprung apart, shocked. Dick looked up in time to see a flash of red through the vent cover that confirmed he wasn’t imagining the ‘Tt’ sound. He sighed quietly while the girl and her friends laughed at the weird malfunction. Of course, he laughed along with her, even as he tried to covertly glance up and see if he could get another glimpse of Damian. He thought that it said something about his life that he wasn’t even surprised at this point to find out that his youngest brother apparently followed him to an undercover mission instead of working on his science project. The fact that Damian was currently stalking him through the vents comes as even less of a surprise. That was just his life.

                At least he knew that Jason was at his part-time job like he was supposed to be, and Tim was most likely at the library with his classmates working on their project. Though, it was likely that he was still watching through the security cameras, so Dick waved at them whenever he got a chance.

                _“So, anyone know why my little brother is hiding in the vents?”_ Dick asked.

                _“Which little brother?”_ Connor asked. Dick thought it said something about their lives as well that that was the first question they had about his statement.

                _“Robin,”_ Dick answered.

                _“How did he even get here. He can’t drive,”_ Artemis said. A pause. _“Can he?”_

_“Nightwing, I’m really sorry. He was blackmailing me, there was nothing I could do,”_ Wally said. Dick sighed.

                _“I’ll talk to him about it later. Did he at least give you what he has on you?”_

_“He’s going to give it to me afterwards,”_ Wally said. Dick resisted the urge to facepalm.

                _“You really trust him to do that?”_ Dick said. Wally was silent.

                _“We can deal with that later,”_ Kaldur said, ignoring the fact that he had said something similar after the last mission. And the one before that. _“We just received word that our target isn’t going to show.”_

_“So, that means we can leave?”_ M’gann said.

                _“Yes, though not all at once. Meet up where we hid the bioship, then we’ll head back to the cave and try to find where our target actually spent his evening.”_

“Sorry, ladies. I have to start making my way out,” Dick said after fake-checking his phone. He spoke a little louder than was strictly necessary for Damian’s benefit. He gave his goodbyes and started making his way to the door. The guy who had been glaring at him earlier walked over, and the girl seemed pretty excited that he had come back so he decided to leave well enough alone on that front. It probably wouldn’t set a good example for him to pick a fight when Damian was watching, and he was allowed to leave now anyways. He turned to go, making his way through the room and nodding goodbyes to some of the people he had talked with.

                “I’d like to propose a toast,” a voice called out. Dick froze. His smile dropped. The man continued speaking, but all his words blurred together. It was too loud, but it was the only thing he could hear. He knew that voice. Slowly, he turned. He didn’t recognize the face of the man making the toast. He had never seen it without the white mask of an owl. But he knew the voice. Could never forget the voice. Their eyes locked for a moment before the man looked away, not seeming to recognize him. It didn’t matter. Dick turned and ran from the room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry, I meant to post this yesterday but that didn't happens. I'm planning on trying to update this twice a week, Wednesdays and Saturdays, but as I've already proven that may vary slightly. Thank you to everyone who left a comment last chapter; it's really exciting for me to see that people are enjoying this story!

“Grayson, explain what is going on,” Damian commanded. Dick shoved him onto the bioship before he could complain further, but Kaldur had already heard him. Wally followed behind them.

                “Is something troubling you?” Kaldur asked, following Dick.

                “Nah, we’re good. I’m just glad to be out of there. It was kind of dull,” Dick said, speaking far too quickly. He winced. He was usually better than this, but seeing someone from the Court had totally thrown him off. He needed to get _out_.

                “You’re lying,” Damian said, staring at him with an accusing glare. The kid clenched his fists. He was mad, but Dick knew him well enough to recognize that the anger was covering genuine concern. Probably. “Need I remind you what happened last time you tried to keep crucial information from us? The Red Hood joined a gang.”

                “I thought you said he was working undercover,” Wally said. Dick winced.

                “Not important right now?” Dick pleaded. Wally shrugged. As Dick’s closest friend among his new team as well as most frequent target of the younger ones, he was getting used to just rolling with whatever craziness they attempted next.

                “Correct. What is important is that you are trying to keep something from me,” Damian glared, standing at his full not-very-intimidating height and looking about two seconds from punching someone. Probably Wally, even though it was Dick he was mad at.

                “I’d like to know, too. You know you can trust us,” Wally said, sounding genuinely concerned. Dick smiled at him, hoping that a convincing enough front would keep them from prying too hard.

                “Of course I know that,” Dick said. It was easy enough for him to pretend that he hadn’t heard any of the suspicion flying around about there being a mole in the team. Damian wasn’t as smooth, but he always acted grumpy and suspicious towards people he didn’t know well so no one was going to think him out of character. His glare had turned to Dick at the declaration, either a prompting to go on and reveal what had caused him to run or a condemnation at how trusting he sounded. “One of the guys there was someone I had seen before at an underground fight. I doubt he recognized me without the mask and wearing a suit, but I thought it was better to be safe than sorry so I got out fast. No biggie.”

                Sometimes Dick hated how easily lies and deception came to him. Hated that they rolled off his tongue without a second thought. Hated that he didn’t even consider telling the truth until he had already started lying. Hated that he had gotten so good at it that Wally and the others accepted it without a second thought, though Damian’s eyes remained on him guaranteeing a further interrogation once they got home. It didn’t matter, though. It had kept them alive, and Dick was willing to deal with parts of himself that he hated if it meant that he could keep his family together.

                The rest of the trip back was mostly silent. Everyone was tired, as well as frustrated from a long night that had accomplished nothing. Beyond that, there was the elephant in the room they were all trying to pretend didn’t exist. One of them could be the traitor. None of them wanted to believe it. Except maybe Damian, who seemed pretty eager for any reason to justify his hatred of the team that didn’t include worrying that Dick might be hurt working with them.

                “Well, I have to get Damian home and to bed,” Dick said, glad for an excuse to leave. “Can I submit my mission report at training tomorrow?” Kaldur nodded permission, so Dick headed out, dragging Damian by the hood of his new and improved Robin costume, ignoring the threats and complaints the action caused. For all Dami’s fussing, he was certainly happy enough to take advantage of the new costume and training facilities the team provided. Dick and Damian headed out, but Dick paused.

                “Sorry, Dami. Can you head back? I forgot my bag. It’ll only be a moment,” Dick said.

                “Tt. Of course you are that forgetful. I shall remain here until you return,” Damian said.

                Dick didn’t mean to overhear the rest of the team’s conversation, but that didn’t mean that he was going to leave once he heard them talking.

                “So, do we think Nightwing’s the mole?” Connor asked. He was always one to get straight to the point. Dick tried not to be too disappointed. It made sense for them to suspect him. He’d be more weirded out if they didn’t. After all, he was newest. And all they really knew about him was that he had brothers and that Batman had vouched for him. Also, that he’d tried to scam them by pretending that Dick Grayson and Nightwing were separate people. Really not off to a great start.

                “No way,” Wally said, sounding dismissive. Dick smiled slightly, looking down.

                “Batman has said that he is trustworthy,” Kaldur said.

                “Not really. He just said that he should be on the team, not that we should trust him,” Artemis pointed out. Dick supposed that was fair. After all, he still wasn’t sure how Batman had convinced everyone to accept his decision. Dick had come to the conclusion the Bat hadn’t really offered anyone any explanation.

                “He’s a good person,” Wally argued. Dick was somewhat amazed by his conviction in something that Dick himself sometimes doubted. He really hoped that Wally wasn’t the actual mole. “I mean, look at his brothers. They adore him. And are slightly terrifying.”

                “He is good, I can sense that much. I do not believe that he wishes to do us harm, but. . .” M’gann said. “There is darkness there, as well.”

                “He might not want to be a mole,” Kaldur said, ever the voice of reason. “But if someone was threatening him, or his brothers. . .” He trailed off. Wally didn’t have a retort. Dick didn’t really have one either.

                “There’s no point worrying about this if there’s nothing we can do,” Connor said, sounding frustrated. Dick heard footsteps and vanished towards the Zeta before anyone could even get a hint of his presence. He put on a casual smile for Damian and the two departed.

                Dick didn’t think he agreed with Connor. They couldn’t keep pushing the issue of the mole aside because they didn’t want to deal with it. And if they thought it was him and weren’t careful around anyone else. . .that could end badly. He didn’t want to think that one of them was a traitor, either. He liked working with the team, liked it a lot. Even now, when things were so strained, he couldn’t help but be please with the work that he was doing. A mole he could deal with, suspicion falling on him he could deal with, if it meant that he got to keep doing this. Being a hero. But, could he risk putting his brothers in danger just for some illusion of redemption for everything that he had done for the Court of Owls? Especially if it hadn’t been a coincidence that there had been an Owl at the party. If the mole in their team had tipped off the Court. . .

                “Stop brooding,” Damian said, punching him in the leg. Dick smiled apologetically. He could see Damian itching to ask him about what was on his mind, but knew that they couldn’t risk it while out on the crowded street. Instead, Dami slipped his hand into Dick’s, allowing the contact. Dick squeezed his hand slightly, showing that he appreciated the gesture.

                When they arrived home, Dick opened the door to see Jason sprawled out on the couch, holding a bag of frozen vegetables to a developing black eye. Before he could ask what had happened, Tim stood up from where he had been sitting cross-legged on the floor surrounded by printed out articles detailing thefts in various cities across the states.

                “Dick, we have a problem,” Tim said. “Haley’s Circus is returning to Gotham.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you to everyone who has commented. This chapter is from Tim's POV because variety. It's my first time writing from his perspective, so let me know what you think. Also, I'm kind of alluding to some backstory stuff but not going into a lot of detail. I don't like stories with info-dumping, but I worry that by trying to avoid that I don't give enough information. Let me know if stuff is confusing. As always, I really hope you enjoy!

Tim knew that he was the smart one. Everyone else was supposed to know it, too. They certainly claimed that they did when they wanted him to do something for them, usually something with technology. Tim had lost count of the number of times he had had to tell his brothers to try turning it off and then on again. So, they knew he was the smart one. But, somehow, that didn’t translate to actually listening to him when he figured something out. Tim was aware of that, so he wasn’t particularly surprised when Dick disregarded his important revelation to focus on one of the less important details.

                “Why does Jason have a black eye?” Dick asked.

                “Because he’s an idiot,” Tim replied without a beat of hesitation. Damian tried to cover a little snort that meant the he found Tim’s response amusing but didn’t want to admit to being in agreement with him about anything. “Anyways, there’s been a series of robberies throughout the States, with similar styles. They seem to correspond to where the circus has been. Of course, correlation doesn’t equal causation, but. . .”

                “Jason, what happened?” Dick asked, jumping from the doorway to right in front of the couch in order to avoid stepping on Tim’s papers. Tim sighed. He knew intellectually that his oldest brother was actually really smart, despite the lack of much formal schooling. Still, there were certain things that Dick and Jason both just didn’t like thinking about. The Court of Owls was the big one, of course. For Dick, Haley’s Circus could be another. On good days, they wouldn’t be able to get him to shut up about stories from his circus days. Dick had even spent many rainy afternoons trying to teach them various tricks. On bad days, however, usually closer to the anniversary of his parent’s death, he’d quickly change the subject if it was brought up. Tim didn’t have patience for Dick’s customary dance around the topics he didn’t want to deal with today, though. Not when he finally had established a concrete link between the thefts and the Circus, and between the Circus and the Court of Owls. Not when the Circus was returning to the seat of the Court’s power.

                Though, maybe Tim much room to criticize Dick. After all, he had his own demons that he didn’t like to think about. His parents stood out amongst them. Long hours of silence after they had told him they’d be home, empty rooms, a too-big house with no one there but him and his thoughts. _They aren’t going to pay the ransom, he’s not worth it._

                “Tim hit me,” Jason said, sounding enough like a whiney toddler to snap Tim out of his contemplation.

                “Jason hit me first,” Tim said.

                “I barely touched him! Plus, he was being a bratty know-it-all.”

                “Jason, you know you can’t fight someone just because. . .” Dick started.

                “I applaud his decision. Drake should be punished.”

                “He wouldn’t give me his information on Batman unless I agreed to do the dishes.”

                Everyone was talking at once, and Tim’s actually important information was literally being trodden on as Damian crossed the room paying no heed to the articles laid out on the floor. The slightly subtler approach was not working. At all.

                “Haley’s has a connection with the Court of Owls. And now they are returning to Gotham, for the first time in almost a decade,” Tim had to shout the first part, but after the part about the Court the room’s focus turned to him enough so he could lower his voice to a more normal volume. Dick and Jason’s eyes went cold at the mention of the Court, the flat expression on their faces that Tim guessed they had worn when the Court had tried to turn the two of them into emotionless assassins. Damian had pulled a katana from somewhere and was pointing it at Tim, as if the whole thing was somehow his fault for being the one to figure it out.

                “The Court is back,” Dick said. Tim didn’t like how he said it, as if he knew, without even seeing the proof that Tim had amassed.

                “The person you ran from tonight,” Damian said suddenly, whirling around to look at Dick.

                “You saw someone from the Court?” Jason sat bolt upright. His eyes narrowed. “You were planning on telling us about this. Right?”

                “Did they recognize you? Are you okay?” Tim asked, his heart beating faster.

                “I don’t think he saw me. I got out of there as soon as I recognized his voice,” Dick said. Tim tried not to worry too much about how he didn’t answer the second part of the question.

                “You should have let me deal with it,” Damian said, pointing his sword and attempting to look fierce.

                “And alert the Court?” Tim said, perhaps a little too eager to point out Damian’s mistake.

                “Going to Gotham. . .Are they calling us out?” Jason said, his voice more hesitant than Tim was used to hearing it.

                “Maybe. We have to go dig around to find out,” Tim said. Jason and Damian nodded immediate assent, but Dick hesitated.

                “It’s dangerous,” he said, in the way he did when he was about to try to get them to stay behind while he did something stupid without any backup.

                “We don’t have to do it by ourselves,” Tim pointed out. The other three stared at him like they had no idea what he was talking about. Tim sighed internally, but knew better than to let his irritation show while he was trying to get his brothers to go along with one of his plans. “You are part of a team, Dick. A team of superheroes, remember?”

                “Why would we allow those ignorant, insignificant. . .” Damian started, but Tim cut him off.

                “I’m not saying that we tell them everything. Batman is off-world, along with most of the Justice League. I can make it seem like the mission came from him, so the team will go to Gotham. We have an excuse to be there without raising suspicion, and immediate backup if we decide we need it. If not, they never need to know,” Tim said. Damian still didn’t seem convinced, but Dick was nodding along. Damian and Jason didn’t get it. They had elected to mindlessly hate, or at least distrust, the team without even considering how they could be a useful tool, when used properly and properly motivated. Hence his growing collection of blackmail.

                “So, we track down the Court before they can track us down,” Jason said. He stood up from the couch in one fluid motion, his eyes gleaming. “And then we deal with them.”

                Dick didn’t say anything to that, but didn’t contradict him, either. Tim looked between his brothers, all of them ready, and was struck by one of those other things that he doesn’t like to think too much about. When they wanted to be, his new family could be very, very dangerous.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this chapter has taken so long! I hope it's worth the wait, but to be honest it's mostly a set up chapter for the actual plot that will be happening soon. I'll be updating much more frequently now, and the next chapter should be up Wednesday. I'm going to try to update twice a week until this installment is done. Anyways, thank you to everyone who has been reading this!

“Dude, there is no way that Batman really gave us this mission,” Wally said. Dick didn’t let himself visibly react, but it was a close call. Luckily, Damian was some ways off and couldn’t hear. He’d probably have given their ruse away by trying to stab Wally preemptively or something. Dick was willing to try to let this play out.

                “Why’s that?” he asked as casually as he could. If he could find what had Wally so suspicious, maybe he could deal with it.

                “It’s way to fun!” Wally said, a bright smile spreading across his face. Dick relaxed, allowing a matching smile. “Seriously, going undercover in a circus? What’s cooler than that? I mean, even Artemis is enjoying it.”

                “Yeah, pretty crazy, right?” Dick said. Wally slapped him on the back and Dick tried to ignore how exhausted he was. This was not a good time for this cold to hit him, but what could he do? His only options were to stick it out or potentially allow his brothers to take on the Court alone, which really was no choice at all.

                “Well, I guess it explains the mystery of why Batman had that trapeze installed in the cave. Seriously, how long has he been planning this for?” Wally said.

                “Yeah,” Dick said after a slight pause where he tried to wipe some of the sweat from his forehead before it could drip onto the red mask that was part of his circus uniform.

                “Dude, are you sure you’re okay to perform today? No offence, but you kind of look like you’re dying,” Wally said. Dick thought that he hadn’t even felt this crappy on previous occasions where he had actually been dying. He almost said that aloud before he caught himself. He really couldn’t afford to lose his brain-to-mouth filter because of a stupid cold. Not when he was trying to keep the team in the dark as to his true suspicions about the Court being behind the Haly’s Circus thefts, not to mention his own past. And especially not when he’s also trying to work behind his brother’s backs to find out how deeply the Circus is involved with the Court. Despite a large part of his brain screaming at him that it would be better if he just left well enough alone. He could be left with the good memories of his childhood in the circus, of his parents and friends, without tainting that with the Court’s involvement. But if he did that he would always be left with the lingering worry, and the big unanswered question. Did they know?

                Wally nudged him, staring expectantly. Right, he had asked something. He was probably waiting for an answer.

                “Performance. Right. Shouldn’t be a big deal, I’ve done it so many times I could almost do it in my sleep,” he mumbled. Wally raised a dubious eyebrow at him.

                “Yeah, but performing live is different, right?” Wally said, seeming concerned.

                “I’ve performed before,” Dick said, before he could get himself to shut the hell up. Wally looked interested, so there was probably no way Dick could convince him to drop it without further explanation. Wally could be irritatingly persistent sometimes. Dick didn’t want to lie to him more than necessary, so he supposed he’d have to drop some actual details. Plus, his head was pounding way too much for coming up with a convincing lie. “I used to live in a circus.”

                “What, really? That’s so cool,” Wally said. Dick couldn’t help but smile back at his enthusiasm.

                “It was,” Dick said, more genuine sadness creeping into his voice than he had intended.

                “Seems like there’s a story there. You want to share?” Wally said. He wasn’t demanding. Dick appreciated that.

                “Not—” he cut himself off. He had been about to say ‘not yet.’ “Not when my head feels like it’s going to explode.”

                “Fair enough,” Wally chuckled. He dropped the subject and started chatting away on something that didn’t require any response from Dick. It was pretty relaxing, actually, and made walking back inside the circus tent seem like less of a challenge.

                The performance passed in something of a blur. Dick had been somewhat excited to be back in the spotlight, despite the circumstances that had led to his initial departure and eventual return, but between his cold and trying to make sure that Damian didn’t ‘accidentally’ hit someone during his knife-throwing performance. . .Dick couldn’t seem to find the energy for much else. He basically collapsed as soon as it was done and fell asleep.

                Which meant, of course, Tim started poking him in the middle of the night.

                “Sleep,” Dick mumbled into his pillow. The poking got more intensive. Finally, Dick growled and sat up. Surprisingly, he didn’t feel like he was about to keel over. Must have been some sort of twenty-four-hour bug, he supposed. Whatever it was, he was glad his brain seemed to actually be working now, despite being tired.

                “Good, you’re awake,” Tim said, as if it was some sore of accident.

                “Reluctantly,” Jason added on, trailing into the room following Tim.

                “Come on. We all know that you both wake up the moment I walk in the room,” Tim said dismissively. Which was a fair point.

                “Where’s Dami?” Dick said with a yawn.

                “I figured we could go over the plans now. No need to wake him up,” Tim said. Which meant that the two of them were fighting about something again and Dick would probably have to deal with it. Or at least keep them separated.

                “What do you have for us?” Jason asked before Dick could insist on Damian’s presence.

                “So, from what I can tell, most of the major villains in Gotham are currently locked up. Probably why Batman felt okay leaving the city for the Justice League thing, actually. Still have some standard gangs around, but I doubt they have any connection to the court beyond possible grunt work. My current theory is that there has to be some sort of go-between linking the Court to the grunts and possibly to the circus. I made a list of possible villains who could be doing that job who aren’t currently in prison,” Tim said. Dick scanned the tablet Tim handed over, Jason reading it over his shoulder.

                “Cluemaster? What kind of name is that?” Jason asked, pointing.

                “I guess we’ll find out tomorrow,” Dick said. “Okay, here’s the plan. Tim and I will tell the team that we’re following up on some other leads, technically true, and investigate the names on his list. Jason, I want you and Damian to stay here.”

                “No way,” Jason protested, but Dick cut him off.

                “I need you to help the team with the investigation from this end, and also to make sure they stay off our trail,” Dick said.

                “Demon Brat isn’t going to be happy about being left behind,” Jason said. Dick sighed.

                “When is he ever happy?” Tim grumbled, pulling up some of the files on his tablet for Dick to start looking through.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! New chapter, hope you enjoy! Next one should be later this week, if all goes according to plan. I really appreciate any comments if you have the time.

“Are we sure that we’re going the right way?” Tim asked. Dick sighed. They were both tired. So far, none of their leads had panned out. The last criminal on their list was Cluemaster, who was ending up being more difficult to track down than they had first assumed. Dick didn’t answer. Time had asked earlier, and Dick had dodged the question then, too. Keeping walking was better than faking knowing what he was doing yet again, so Dick didn’t even turn around. Until he heard Tim scream.

                Dick whirled around. His heart pounded in his chest. Tim was on the ground. Blood. Figure above him, holding a weapon. Dick moved, grabbing and pinning the attacker up against the alley wall. The weapon falls from a hand held tightly in his grip. A brick. Tim’s blood was on it.

                “Ouch,” Tim grumbled. Dick watched out of the corner of his eye as Tim stood up, rubbing at his head but appearing otherwise unharmed. Dick released a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. He turned his full attention back to the attacker as she whimpered. The dark color of her clothing was actually a purple, and she was a lot smaller than he had initially thought. A long lock of blonde hair was visible poking out from under a purple hood.

                “You’re a kid,” Dick said with some surprise. Instantly, the girl stiffened, all but the slightest traces of fear leaving her.

                “I’m not a kid. You’re stupid,” she said, glaring at him. Dick wasn’t sure how to respond to that. He glanced over at Tim, who shrugged. “And you’d better let go of me right now, or I’m going to scream.”

                “You’re the one who attacked us!” Tim said, gesturing at the trail of blood leaking down the side of his face.

                “Yeah, well you were following me! And you look like supervillains!” she said. She seemed a little guilty, though, as if she hadn’t really thought it through very well. And she was about Tim’s age, so it was hard for him not to feel a little bad about keeping her pinned when it didn’t seem like she was going to attack them again.

                “I told you that our new costumes should have had more color. You just had to veto all of my ideas,” Dick said, letting a little bit of a pout into his voice as the tension seemed to relax. He set the girl down and took a step back so he was a less threatening distance away while still staying between her and Tim.

                “You have no fashion sense. At all,” Tim said. Dick glared at him, mock-offended.

                “So, you aren’t supervillains trying to find my dad?” she asked, still a little tentative.

                “Not at all,” Dick assured, giving her a wide reassuring smile. “Kind of the opposite, actually.”

                “You’re superheroes?” she said. Dick couldn’t help but stand up a little straighter.

                “Pretty much, yeah. I’m Nightwing, and this is my brother,” Dick said.

                “Red Robin,” Tim introduced himself.

                “I’m St—Spoiler. I’m Spoiler,” she said.

                “What would you have done if we had actually been supervillains?” Tim asked. Spoiler shrugged.

                “I would’ve hit you with the brick again,” she said, as if it were obvious. Tim’s eyes widened.

                “So, why would supervillains be after your dad?” Dick asked, changing the subject. Spoiler glanced down.

                “Cuz he sucks.”

                “Like, doesn’t let you stay up past nine sucks or abusive sucks?” Tim asked. Dick tried to communicate his desire to maybe be a little more subtle by gesturing frantically but Spoiler didn’t seem to care.

                “Like he’s a supervillain. That’s why you are following him, right?” she said. It clicked.

                “Your dad is Cluemaster?” Dick said. Spoiler nodded.

                “Has he ever mentioned anything about a Court of Owls?” Tim said eagerly.

                “Like from the nursery rhyme? The Court of Owls watches all the time, don’t whisper about them or they’ll kill you? That one?” Spoiler asked.

                “Send a Talon for your head,” Dick whispered. He rubbed his palms on his pants, realizing that they’d gotten sweaty and tried not to look at Tim. He felt shaky all of a sudden, like the stupid cold had come back, but he knew it was just thinking about the Court. He really didn’t want to be doing this. A part of him, larger than he wanted to admit, just wanted to run, to keep moving, to not look back. But not looking back only worked when there was nothing behind you chasing you. And the Court was going to catch up sooner or later.

                “I haven’t heard him talk about it, sorry dude,” Spoiler said, seeming not to notice his momentary panic. Tim noticed, of course, but didn’t say anything. There was something to be said for taking the most subtle of his brothers with him.

                “We’d still like to talk to him. Could you maybe tell us where we could find him?” Dick asked Spoiler. She looked down, chewing on her lower lip contemplatively.

                “I’m not sure where he’s going to be tonight,” Spoiler said. Dick didn’t know her well enough to know whether or not she was lying. Before he could press the issue, however, Tim interrupted.

                “We may be able to find out what we need without tracking him down,” Tim said. Dick turned to face him and saw a massive grin on his face as he held his new uniform’s built-in computer, which he had been fiddling with all night, above his head victoriously.

                “I just hacked the Batcomputer!”

                “What? No way,” Spoiler said, seeming more impressed than disturbed by the illegal actions.

                “Way,” Tim said smugly.

                “Okay, what does he have on the Court?” Dick asked, feeling more desperate the longer they stood there without making progress. “Or Cluemaster, or something, anything?”

                “Just give me a moment. . .” Tim said, clicking away as Dick and Spoiler both leaned over his shoulder to watch. “And. . .wait. Okay, that’s weird.”

                “What? What’s going on?” Dick said, not liking Tim’s tone of voice at all.

                “Someone is trying to hack me back. It’s not the Batcomputer’s security, either. It’s like me breaking in set off some sort of alarm that alerted some outside server, and that person is now after me,” Tim said, typing furiously. “I’m trying to stop it, but nothing’s working!”

                “Can we just smash it? Would that work?” Dick reached out to grab the computer, but Tim moved it out of his reach.

                “No. You are not just smashing my computer because some. . .” Tim trailed off. Dick held his breath.

                “What happened?” Spoiler asked.

                “It sent me a name, whoever was hacking me. Oracle,” Tim said after a pause. He looked up at Dick. “And a set of coordinates. I think Oracle wants to meet us.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you to everyone who has commented or left kudos! This chapter follows Damian and Jason, so you'll have to wait until next time to see Babs, sorry. I hope you still enjoy, and dropping me a comment if you do would be appreciated:)

“I said, you can’t let him touch you!” Jason yelled, yanking Damian backwards by the hood of his new Robin uniform. “He’ll do the weird ability-drain thing!”

                “And I said that I won’t be able to hit him if I don’t get in closer!” Damian growled back, yanking out of Jason’s grasp and once again launching himself towards the creature that the others on the team had called the Parasite.

                “That’s why you fight from a distance,” Artemis called out, firing another arrow at the creature. It turned to face her, shooting a wave of flame that set her bow alight, causing her to drop it.

                “Couldn’t agree more,” Jason said, firing a round at the creature’s exposed back. The creature went down, bullets in its legs, and Superboy leapt on top of it, pinning it down without letting it touch his skin as Kid Flash sped over with ropes and tied it up.

“Well, that was fun,” Jason said with a satisfied sigh.

                “I thought you weren’t supposed to use guns,” Wally said hesitantly from next to him.

                “Nightwing isn’t here, so it doesn’t count,” Jason said. Damian nodded in agreement, cleaning off his katana.

                “Nightwing doesn’t like guns?” Wally asked. He had obviously been trying to get more information from the brothers. It was probably innocent, wanting to work better with her teammates or whatever, but Jason tended to dislike any sort of prying into their past. Still, there didn’t seem to be any harm in answering this particular question, and Nightwing had told them to play nice.

                “I mean, he’d use one if he had to, but he doesn’t prefer it. Says they kill too easily,” Jason shrugged as Wally, Damian, and him made their way back to the trailer while Superboy and Artemis finished with the Parisite. The creature hadn’t given them any useful information other than that ‘someone had recommended he target the circus’ and Jason wasn’t sure where to go from there. He had gotten the impression that Batman didn’t approve of guns either, and Dick was probably right that they weren’t in a secure enough position on the team to risk angering the man who had essentially been their sponsor. Jason’s philosophy, however, was what they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them. “Me, I think they kill just easily enough.”

                “Guns are weapons for those not skilled enough to master the katana,” the brat jutted in, lifting his own weapon in demonstration as Jason glared at him. “A much more elegant weapon, and just as lethal in the right hands.”

                “Not that you were actually going to kill him,” Wally said with what seemed to Jason to be just the right amount of apprehension.

                “Tt. Of course not,” Damian said. “Nightwing disapproves.”

                “Ha. I mean, that’s not the only reason you don’t kill people, right?” Wally said, glancing between Jason and Damian. Both looked back at him in silence. “You know what? I’m just going to assume you were joking.”

                “That’s probably smart,” Jason said. “So, what’s the next step? We just wait around for Nightwing and Red?”

                “I mean, I didn’t think there really was a next step. We took out the thief. If he’s in contact with someone else shouldn’t we just pass the information on to Batman?” Wally said. Jason hesitated. That was actually a valid point. He guessed that Dick and Tim had anticipated being back by this point so they hadn’t given any instructions for what to do.

                “I suppose. I don’t know. I feel we should stick around for a little while just in case,” Jason said, trying to find something better. Wally gave him a look that Jason didn’t really know what to make of.

                “It was this circus, wasn’t it? The one Dick said he grew up in?” Jason stopped walking and felt Damian tense beside him. Dick had told Wally about the circus. Which meant that he trusted him. Which was very, very bad. Jason saw no way that could end well. Wally would turn out to be the mole, or he wouldn’t and turned against them when he found out about Dick’s history as Talon. Either way, Dick would get hurt. Jason locked eyes with Damian, and for once he could tell they were in total agreement. 

                “Guys, your brother is contacting us,” Superboy said, gesturing at the trailer they had converted into their base. Damian perked up, after giving Wally one last death-glare, and ran inside with Jason following close behind.

                “He’s not my brother,” Damian scowled as he saw Tim’s face on the screen. Tim just rolled his eyes while Artemis and Superboy shared a confused look.

                “What’s up Red?” Jason asked, looking in the background of the image for any signs of danger before focusing on Tim while Damian promptly tuned out and starting arguing with Artemis about something or other.

                “We may have to take a detour. Something came up,” Tim said. Jason stiffened.

                “You need backup?” he asked.

                “No, I don’t think so. We’ll be in touch soon. Just didn’t want you and Robin on a warpath if we are late,” Tim said. Jason grinned, then tensed again as a figure he didn’t recognize appeared in the background of the image.

                “Who’s that?” Jason asked. She didn’t look overly intimidating. Young, wearing purple, and long blond hair. And Tim hadn’t given any of their distress signs, so there wasn’t any reason to believe he was being coerced into sending the message, but he still needed to ask.

                “Spoiler. We met her earlier,” Tim said, glancing behind him at the girl. Jason noted a touch of color in Tim’s normally pale cheeks and grinned. He was going to tease Tim mercilessly for this. “Anyways, got to go, bye.”

                “Hood, explain to these imbeciles that I am of a much grander lineage than Red Robin,” Damian shouted from behind him as Tim shut down the communication.

                “I thought you were all related,” Superboy said, frowning. Jason frowned as well. That was veering towards the information about them that he didn’t want the Team to have when they were inevitably betrayed. Trust Damian’s pride to screw them over.

                “Nope,” Jason said, figuring the cat was already out of the bag. “Nightwing just has a habit of picking up strays.”

                “So, you’re all orphans?” Artemis asked. Jason knew that was what Wally at least had already assumed that was the case. Artemis might actually be trying to make sure that Dick wasn’t randomly kidnapping children.

                “In a sense,” Jason said at the same time as Damian began his fervent denials. Jason felt the need to clarify. “Tim’s parents are awful. We don’t know who Damian’s dad is, and it wasn’t safe for him to stay with his mom, so he’s with us.”

                “Mother told me that Father is a great warrior. Don’t make it sound like he was some random—” Damian began. Jason tuned him out. He had heard it all before. He watched the conversation, though, searching for any hints in body language that would tell him which was the mole, if it was either of them. Artemis was still glaring at him when he though he wasn’t looking, but he thought that was her own suspicion of him rather than any indicator of future backstabbing. He thought back to the information Tim had on her and grinned. He knew exactly how to stop further questions.

                “Dami’s mom isn’t exactly on the right side of the law,” Jason said with a casual shrug. Damian bristled, but didn’t bother denying it. Artemis’ eyes widened, and, as he suspected she would, she quickly let the subject of their pasts drop. Finally.

                Jason turned back to the computer as Damian prepared to pick another fight. He sighed. He really hated waiting.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Today was my last day of school, so I'm super pumped and wanted to get this chapter posted! We're back with Dick, Tim, and Steph here as they meet Babs. Note that Babs is Oracle here, and was never Batgirl in this AU. My reasoning for this is, without Robin setting the precedent, Batman wouldn't accept her as a vigilante and it was unlikely that she would go through with the idea to become one. Also, her being paralyzed didn't really have anything to do with her being Batgirl, and I wanted to explore her becoming Oracle, including her paralysis, even without the experience as Batgirl. Plus, she's super badass as Oracle. So, I screwed with the timeline more than I already had. There are hints of Dick/Babs and Tim/Steph here, but it's not a major thing so don't worry if you aren't a fan of those pairings. Anyways, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!

“Are we sure that going to meet this Oracle is really the best idea?” Spoiler asked.

                “It seems like our best option. I’ve heard she does work for superheroes, and we’ve kind of met a dead end. Plus we need to try to get her to agree not to tell Batman we tried to hack his computer,” Dick said. “And who said _we_ were going anywhere? You need to get home.”

                “What? No way,” Spoiler said.

                “Her dad is Cluemaster, so it would make sense for her to stick around and help us,” Tim said. Dick glanced at him. He had been trying to keep the two apart because of the whole brick incident, but Tim kept inching over towards her.

                “Alright, fine. But after this you’re leaving,” Dick said, bouncing from foot to foot and resenting any delay in movement. Tim shared a grin with Spoiler and they both followed after him.

                “Yay! Should I bring the brick? I feel like I should bring the brick.”

                “It shouldn’t be that dangerous.”

                About fifteen minutes later, possibly the most beautiful woman Dick had ever seen was holding a taser to his throat. Dick gulped and the redhead glared at him for daring to make any unapproved movement, her glasses seeming to intensify her stare.

                “I should have brought the brick,” Spoiler whispered from behind him.

                “So. You’re Nightwing,” she said. Dick nodded tentatively. He hadn’t introduced himself, but he was pretty ready to believe that Oracle was omniscient. “Red Robin. Spoiler.”

                “She knows our names, how does she know our names?” Spoiler whispered to Tim. Oracle maneuvered her wheelchair so she was facing Tim and Spoiler without letting Dick completely out of her sight.

                “I’ve been waiting for a chance to meet with you since I read about you on Batman’s files. He tried to hide the information on you from me. That peaked my interest,” she said, a grin on her face. Dick wanted to grin back, but was held back by both the weapon still pointed at him and the implications of _what_ exactly she might have found on those files.

                “I’m in Batman’s files,” Spoiler yelped. Oracle’s grin widened.

                “You are on the streets with a costume and a name. Your father is a known villain. You left the hints that helped with Cluemaster’s last arrest. Of course you’re in Batman’s files,” Oracle said. Dick glanced at Spoiler. He hadn’t known that she had helped get her father arrested. Maybe assuming she would help them wasn’t so far-fetched.

                “You called us here. What did you want?” Tim asked.

                “I can offer my assistance. You want to find Cluemaster. I have the data from all of Cluemaster’s recent appearances,” Oracle said. “I can also help you make sure B doesn’t find out you were in his computer. I’m sending the information of his usual patterns to you”

                “Got it,” Tim said after Oracle clicked a couple buttons on her computer, positioned in such a way that they were never out of her line of sight. Dick walked over to Tim and leaned over his shoulder.

                “What are you doing?”

                “Magic,” Tim deadpanned without a pause. Oracle snorted.

                “Not exactly. He’s running a program and inserting the information I gave him to calculate the most likely places for Cluemaster’s base to be located. It’ll work. I built the program,” she said. Tim stopped typing to look up at her.

                “Can I have your autograph?” Tim asked. Oracle let out a sharp laugh that transformed her face into something softer for just a moment before her professional mask returned. Dick couldn’t help staring at her for a moment longer.

                “Are you done yet?” Spoiler asked. Dick wondered if it was worth reminding her that he had said she had to go home after meeting with Oracle.

                “Two potential locations of about equal likelihood,” Tim said.

                “You should split up,” Oracle said. Dick frowned. He didn’t like that idea, but Oracle gave him a look that momentarily silenced his objections. He knew that Batman trusted her, as did pretty much all of the superheroes. Shouldn’t he do the same? “Red Robin and Spoiler can hit location one. They’ll just stake it out and contact Nightwing or myself if they see anything. Nightwing will be on location two.”

                “Just stake out,” Dick said. Tim nodded. He’d probably listen. He and Steph headed out while Dick stayed behind so Oracle could give him the second location.

                “He’s not at location one,” she said with utter certainty. He nodded, having suspected this much, though unsure about her motives. “He’s not at location two, either.”

                “And what is?” he asked.

                “A target. For an assassination. I’m guessing that you didn’t want the kids to meet a Talon, am I right?” she said. Dick nodded stiffly, focusing on her instead of the memories that boiled under the surface of his mind. Her hair really was gorgeous.

                “You’re right.” He was getting the sense that she usually was.

                “The moment you drop contact, or the moment you ask for it, I’m sending your entire team of superheroes running after you. Possibly some from the grown-up Justice League, as well. Most of them owe me favors,” she said.

                “Why are you doing all this?” he asked. Oracle hesitated. She rubbed her useless legs.

                “I said that I read your file. And I know what it’s like to want some payback. To want to make sure that no one else will be hurt by the person who hurt you,” she said. Dick nodded his understanding. “Batman has a rule against killing, you know.”

                “I know.”

                “Do you have a rule?” She didn’t sound like she was planning on condemning him one way or the other.

                “Yes,” Dick said. He didn’t say exactly where his line was, and she didn’t ask. Knowing that he had one seemed to be enough for her. Dick wasn’t sure it was enough for him.

                “You’d better get going,” she said. Dick stepped over to the window where he had come in, looking over his shoulder at her one last time before he stepped out into the night.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took longer than I wanted it to, sorry about that. But it's here now, so I hope you enjoy it! Thank you to everyone who has or will leave me a comment or kudos, I really appreciate it!

Dick agreed with Oracle absolutely on at least one front; this was probably a trap. There was no way, with all the effort that the Court put into connecting the Circus and having it return to Gotham to get his attention that the news Oracle got of a planned assassination wasn’t trying to draw him out. Still, he had to go. If only to stop the assassination. There was definitely some poetic justice there, Dick stopping a Talon from reaching a target. Plus, he needed information about what the Court was planning, about how much they had recovered from Batman’s last strike against them. As much as he hated the idea, he couldn’t get that information without contact with someone from the Court. He had to be there tonight, but that didn’t mean that he had to drag his brothers into danger.

                “The Court is glad you could make it,” an all-to-familiar voice said from behind him. Dick spun around, his heart beating. The man looked identical to how he had when Dick had known him. Of course he did. Talons didn’t change, not when the Court had transformed them. The reason he and Jason didn’t have the appearance of a Talon, as the Court wanted them to grow up first. Well, the Court wanted one of them to grow up.

                “William Cobb,” he said, struggling to make his voice as uninterested and unemotional as Cobb’s. “Why is the Court calling me out? Why now?”

                “The real question is why did you ever think you could get away. You know who you are meant to be. Gray Son of Gotham.”

                “You have no say in who I am meant to be,” Dick said. He leapt down from the ledge of the building, landing in front of Cobb. Between him and his intended target. “And I go by Nightwing.”

                “What you call yourself makes no difference. Only what you are,” Cobb said. He took a step forward, the moonlight illuminating his clawed gloves. “And you are Talon.”

                “Nope. Not anymore,” Dick said. Cobb’s weight shifted, and Dick stepped forward to meet him, knife against knife. “Why does the Court want this guy dead, anyways?” Cobb didn’t answer, just tried another strike which Dick blocked. Dick hadn’t really expected a response. Talons weren’t supposed to speak while fighting, except for the declaration of the Court sentencing their target to die. Another strike. Another block. Dick saw an opening, twisted out of the way of Cobb’s knife, and slashed the man’s arm when he turned to protect himself. Blood fell to the concrete, but the cut was healed before Dick was able to press his advantage and strike again. Dick wasn’t discouraged. He knew he was at a disadvantage. Cobb could heal while he couldn’t, and also had decades more experience. But he was expecting Dick to fight a certain way, to fight like a Talon. Dick had a chance.

                Dick moved forward, forcing Cobb to take a step back. Cobb didn’t try to block his next strike, knowing that he could heal. He was focused on preparing a counter, and didn’t see Dick exchange his knife for an escrima stick. He didn’t even notice until the shock of electricity coursed through him, enough to bring him to his knees. Dick moved so that he was behind Cobb, his knife held to the man’s throat and an escrima stick jabbing into his side.

                “I need you to answer some questions for me,” Dick said. He brought the knife a little closer to the exposed throat.

                “The reason I came was not to kill that man, though it would have been a bonus. The Court desired me to pass on a message to you,” Cobb said. Dick tightened his grip.

                “I’m never going back to the Court,” Dick said.

                “That isn’t the message. The Court has no desire to end your little vacation so soon, not when you have positioned yourself so well,” Cobb sneered. Dick had to prevent himself from loosening his grip in surprise.

                “You want me to be your mole,” Dick said softly. His grip tightened again. “Why would you even think that could possibly happen?”

                “Because the Court is willing to make a deal. Cooperate, and three names you care very dearly about will remain off the Talons’ list.” Dick’s blood ran cold.

                “They would never keep their word,” he said, already making plans. They’d have to leave the country this time, for sure. New names, new identities. No ties back to home. It might keep them alive for another couple months.

                “Why ever not?” Cobb said. “What reason does the Court have to kill them? The child off the streets with no one to miss him. The boy whose parents forgot about him rather than pay ransom money. The spawn of Al Ghul, perhaps, but being an heir to that clan means little when the patriarch refuses to die.”

                “You were training Jason to be a Talon.”

                “We were training him to motivate you. We were always planning to select you. You were born to be our Talon,” Cobb said. Dick didn’t like the implications of that. “And that is what you will be once more. After you get us the information we want on this team of sidekicks. Prepare your goodbyes to those who are holding you back.”

                “No.”

                “We will provide you with a list of information we want you to retrieve. You will report back to us next week after retrieving it,” Cobb barreled on, ignoring Dick’s protest.

                “No. I’m not going to serve the Court. Never again,” Dick said. He gulped when Cobb stopped talking, unable to ignore this. He hoped that Cobb didn’t notice his hands shaking as memories of pain and fear and pain that he tried to keep buried resurfaced. “I. Am. Not. Talon.”

                “Then how are you going to stop me from slaughtering those castoffs you drag along with you?” Cobb snarled. Dick’s dug the knife into his throat, drawing a small line of blood. “Is Nightwing going to kill me? Going to cut off my head with that little knife of yours, burn me to ashes?”

                Dick flinched at the accusation. Images of the people who had died by his hand appear to him unbidden. Deaths on the Court’s head, perhaps, but on his hands and resting on his soul. The ones from when he was the Court’s weapon, more than he wanted to remember. And the one after leaving the court, the one in Bludhaven. Just once, but still too many. The momentary distraction was enough. Cobb slipped out of the hold Dick had on him, leaping to the other side of the street.

                “The Court will be lenient this once. You will have time to reconsider. If you do not make the right choice, it won’t be you who pays the price,” Cobb said. Dick stepped forward, not sure exactly what he was planning to do. Cobb didn’t give him a chance to figure it out. Dick dove out of the way of the flurry of throwing knives, feeling one of them dig into his side. When he looked up, Cobb had vanished.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you to everyone who has been reading this, especially those who have left a comment or kudos. I hope you enjoy this new chapter! Jason and Damian's problem-solving skills aren't exactly stellar, but their hearts are in the right place. I think there will be about four or five more chapters in this installment.

The circus mission had been fun, but Wally was ready to go home. It didn’t help that, for the past couple hours, he’d been plagued with the uncomfortable feeling that someone or something was watching him from the shadows. He kept glancing over his shoulder nervously and had tried to stay near his teammates despite them, mostly Artemis, mocking his jumpiness. It wasn’t until after Red Robin had returned, verifying that the site he had been sent to check had been a dead end, that Wally had relaxed enough to walk back to the trailer to grab his laptop. It was probably just the atmosphere in Gotham that was making him jumpy. After all, even the air in Gotham managed to somehow smell sinister.

                It should be alright to let his guard down a little bit. The mission was done, essentially. They just had to wait for Nightwing to get back with whatever information he found or, if his end went like Tim’s, didn’t find. After that they could hand it over to Batman and be out of there. Wally sighed and shoved his hands deeper into his jacket pockets. Tried to ignore the presence that he imagined glaring at him from the darkness. He walked another few steps before giving into the urge. Turning quickly to surprise. . .nothing. Again. Sighing, he turned back and stepped forward, almost running into a dark figure.

                “What the—” Wally started. The figure moved forward, as if to clap a hand over his mouth, and Wally recognized him. “Oh, it’s you. What the heck, man? You scared the crap out of me.” Jason didn’t say anything at first. Wally started to feel a tad awkward, especially when he had to once again fight off the urge to turn around. For a moment there, he was sure that he had heard footsteps.

                “West,” a voice said from directly behind him. Wally whirled around to see Damian in full Robin gear glaring at him. “We need to talk with you.”

                “Uh, sure. What do you need,” Wally said. He gulped, mentally preparing himself for whatever blackmail information and favor they were likely to throw at him.

                “You need to stay away from Dick,” Jason growled, causing Wally to turn around again so that Jason could fully appreciate the look of confusion on his face. That did mean leaving his back to Damian, though, which Wally wasn’t convinced was a safe idea at all.

                “Why would I do that?” Wally said. He also wanted to ask how, with them being on the same team, but he suspected that Damian and Jason hadn’t thought that far ahead.

                “Because if you don’t I shall cleave your spine in two,” Damian said. Wally gulped. He was really hoping that Dick would get back soon. He had a feeling that threatening to chop people in half would at least get Damian grounded.

                “And then I’ll shoot your corpse. Just for fun,” Jason said.

                “Okay,” Wally said. He felt that he should be more freaked, but receiving death threats from Damian had become something of a daily occurrence. Jason joining in was new, but not entirely unexpected. “But why do you want me to? I mean, I know you guys hate my guts for some reason, but this seems a little much.”

                “I shall feed the marrow from your bones to Wolf,” Damian said, completely and predictably ignoring Wally’s question.

                “Don’t you think Dick might get a little suspicious at that? I mean, you’d have to cart in all the bones and. . .” Wally rambled, his eyes flickering between the two of them. He noticed Jason’s slight flinch at the comment. “And I’m guessing that Dick has no idea you are threatening me.”

                “Of course not,” Damian tutted as Jason cringed. “He is a fool and unable to look out for his own best interests.”

                “We should have started with the blackmail,” Jason grumbled. “Dick already knows about the blackmail.”

                “How exactly is it in his best interests to stay away from me? I’m his friend,” Wally pleaded. Jason let out a short bark of laughter as Damian tutted disapprovingly. “What is that supposed to mean?” Jason and Damian both glared at him.

                “Just stay away. That’s all you have to know,” Jason grumbled. Wally returned an irritated glare of his own, though he suspected that it was far less intimidating. Just then they heard someone call out that Dick had returned from wherever he had been. Jason and Damian both looked up. Somehow, the glares that they were leveling at Wally intensified. “He doesn’t hear about this.”

                “Or else,” Damian added on, drawing his finger across his throat and narrowing his eyes at Wally. Somehow, despite standing right next to him, Wally didn’t notice him vanish into the shadows. Jason hesitated a moment.

                “He’s been betrayed by enough people. I’m not going to stand by and watch it happen again,” Jason said. Wally was about to respond to that, but Jason turned and walked back to where everyone else was gathered. After a moment, Wally followed him.

                “Cluemaster was gone by the time I got there, but I gathered what evidence I could to send over to Batman,” Dick said as Wally walked over to the group. Apparently, Artemis, Connor, and M’gann had caught him up on what he had missed already, probably without the dramatic anecdotes Wally would have included had he been there for the retelling. “So, we’re about ready to head out, then. I just need to tell Mr. Haly we’re going.”

Tim looked at him as if he was surprised by this, but everyone else just nodded. Dick walked off, and Wally followed after a moment, hoping the Damian and Jason were distracted teasing Tim about some girl he was talking about. Dick walked briskly, not hesitating though he must have noticed Wally following him. Something was off. His tone had been all business when he gave his report, and something about him seemed strained. As if he was forcing himself into a shape that wasn’t natural. Wally was sure that he wasn’t saying something.

“Hey. What else happened while I was out?” Dick asked after a moment too long. Wally started to say something, then hesitated. He shrugged.

“You know, I’m honestly not quite sure,” Wally said. Dick let out a slight laugh that sounded mostly genuine. “Are you good talking to this Haly person? You used to know him, right?”

“Yeah,” Dick said after a moment of surprised hesitation. “I need to ask him something.”

“Alright,” Wally said. He figured that whatever that ‘something’ was had been what had Dick on edge. He stopped, ready to let Dick go do what he needed to do and was mildly surprised when Dick stopped with him. Both stood in silence for a moment. When Dick didn’t say anything, Wally spoke. “Do you want me to come with you?” Dick nodded, and they both continued on in silence.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm so sorry this chapter took so long. Summer got busy, and I managed to loose my outline. Hopefully I should be back to a more frequent update schedule, though I'm not going to commit to an exact date until I'm more settled into the new routine. Thank you to everyone who has read this and left kudos and comments during my break, I read them all and was really excited. Hopefully you enjoy this chapter!

Dick wasn’t sure what he was expecting. Maybe for Haly, for the entire circus, to be different now. Different because he left. But, he supposed, the show must go on. Always. Words he himself lived by, and clung to on those days where it felt like all the evil in the world was reaching up to swallow him whole or consume him from the inside out.

                “It was good having you with the Circus, Dick,” Haly said. Dick took an involuntary step back. He hadn’t given Haly his real name and hadn’t thought that Haly would recognize him.

                “That’s not my name,” he said, hoping to get the conversation back to the way he had imagined it going. He hadn’t quite decided whether or not he wanted to confront Haly, and either way he had wanted for it to be his decision and no one else’s.

                “Like I would ever forget the sight of a Flying Grayson on the trapeze,” Haly snorted. Wally glanced at Dick, wordlessly asking if Dick wanted him to step in. Dick shook his head, not sure if the gesture was meant for Haly or for Wally. He wasn’t ready for this. But he wasn’t sure if he could ever be ready for this. He had to know the truth, even if it ended up confirming the dark suspicions that haunted him.

                “Did you know?” he asked, his voice wavering more than he wanted it to. “About Cobb? And the Court?” Dick didn’t realize he was shaking until Wally placed a steadying hand on his arm. Haly was silent for a long time. “Did you know what they’d do to me? What they’d make me do?”

                “Not. . .not all of it. Not then,” Haly said. Dick closed his eyes, not wanted to see the guilty expression on Haly’s face.

                “But you knew enough,” Dick said in a choked whisper. Wally’s hand tightened on his arm. Dick wondered briefly if Wally was trying to stop him from attacking Haly. He wasn’t sure whether or not that was needed. “Knowing any of it should have been enough.”

                Haly opened his mouth to say something, maybe to give an excuse, maybe to apologize, but Dick didn’t want to be there anymore. He didn’t want to hear whatever came next. He just wanted to not have to think about it anymore. It wasn’t enough; he still didn’t have answers to all the questions he had. But at the same time, it was way too much.

                “I’m leaving,” Dick said abruptly. “Now.”

                Haly nodded, apparently not daring to object. Dick stared at him, memorizing every detail of his face, comparing it to what he remembered from his childhood. How many of the new lines were simply from age, how many from guilt? It took Dick a moment to realize that he still hadn’t moved. Wally tugged gently on his arm, and Dick turned slowly. He didn’t quite want to leave this part of his past behind him. Stepping out of the tent felt final, somehow.

                Dick managed to put some distance between himself and the tent before his legs gave out. He shook his way out of Wally’s grasp and crouched down, staring off blankly.

                “Well, that was a little intense,” Wally said with a nonchalance that was so clearly forced it was almost comical. He paused, waiting for a response, but none came. “Okay. Do you want me to leave? Or stay? We can talk if you want to, doesn’t even have to be about that stuff. I could just babble on about whatever. Or I could stay quiet, though that does tend to be a little tougher for me. Whatever you need, I’m there for you.” Dick laughed harshly.

                “Why,” he said flatly. Wally looked surprised.

                “Cuz I’m your friend,” he said like it was the easiest thing in the world. As if it wasn’t a sentiment that would vanish as soon as Wally learned the truth.

                “You want to know what Talon is? What I am?” Dick said, suddenly angry. He was so _tired_. Tired of waiting for the other shoe to drop. For waiting for everyone to find out what he was. Might as well get it over with. It had been a good run. “A killer. An assassin. A monster.”

                Dick didn’t look up at Wally. He didn’t want to see the condemnation in his face, the dawning horror at the realization. He didn’t want to see Wally regret calling him a friend. He focused on his hands instead, staring intently at his palms and picking at the callouses there from practicing with his knives. He saw Wally’s feet move and tensed, preparing for an attack. How could he have been so stupid to blurt it out like that after going to such lengths to keep it hidden? He would have to find some way to warn Jason, Tim, and Dami before Wally could get to the rest of the team. They’d have to run again, and he’d just made the Court’s offer void so he’d be running from both the Team and the Court. He couldn’t outrun Wally, and he didn’t even have most of his gear on him. Maybe he could convince Wally that he was the only guilty party. They might even extend protection to the others. . .

                Wally moved closer. That was the best option. Give himself up, hope the others can either get away. Dick tensed, preparing for a blow, preparing to not strike back or block instinctively. Wally sat down next to him, leaving about a foot of space between them.

                “You want to tell me about it?” Wally asked. Dick looked up and stared at him. Wally was slouched next to him, posture relaxed. He wasn’t looking at Dick, not watching for an attack. His guard was down. Dick could run.

                “Would you promise me something if I did?” Dick asked in a rush before he lost his courage.

                “Anything,” Wally said.

                “Would you give Jason, Tim, and Damian time to run before you tell everyone?” Dick cringed as Wally didn’t say anything for a long moment. The silence stretched. Dick contemplated how to give them a heads up before this whole place they had built came crashing down around them.

                “Dick, you know that I’m not going to tell anyone anything you don’t want me to, right?” Wally said slowly. “And you don’t have to tell me now if you don’t want to. But anything you do tell me is just between us.”

                “Why. You don’t even know what I’m going to say.”

                “I don’t have to. You’re my friend,” Wally said with enough sincerity that Dick had to bite back a bitter laugh.

                “You won’t say that once you know everything. You don’t even know who I am.”

                “Then tell me.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This one's a bit on the short side, sorry, but it felt like a good place to stop. The next chapter should be longer. Some backstory reveals in this chapter, which includes mentions of child abuse, though nothing really graphic. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story! I'm going to try to update at least once a week for the near future. Comments and kudos are, as always, very much appreciated. I hope you enjoy!

Wally wasn’t sure what he was getting himself into. As much as he wanted to help his friend, and as much as he thought that Dick needed to say whatever he was going to say, there was a part of him that knew that he wasn’t going to like what he heard. He hated even thinking that his friend had done something terrible in the past, which was what Dick seemed to be implying. But he hated the way that Dick was talking about himself even more. If Dick needed to him to know the full story before he would believe that Wally was his friend, then Wally was willing to listen.

                “After my parents died, a man named William Cobb came to the circus,” Dick said. Wally had to bite back his instinctive desire to ask more questions. Something told him that Dick was only ready to tell a part of his story. “Distant relative, he said. Got custody. Orphanages too packed for anyone to question it too much, I guess. He brought me to the Court.”

                “Who are they?” Wally prompted after Dick was silent for a long minute, lost in thought.

                “Bad,” Dick said. His voice shook. Wally clenched his fists, but tried to remain relaxed in case Dick misread where his anger was directed. Dick paused again, seeming to shake himself out of whatever memory had grabbed him and continued on, more coherent. “They run Gotham from the shadows. Send assassins after whoever challenges them. They trained me. To be one of those assassins. To kill.”

                “And if you refused?” Wally said softly. Dick hunched further into himself, pulling his knees up to his chest and letting his hair fall into his face. Wally backtracked, finding himself scared by the sudden vulnerability. “Right, sorry. Dumb question. Just ignore me. Sorry.”

                “It doesn’t matter,” Dick mumbled. “I didn’t refuse.”

                “But you got away,” Wally said. He winced at how it sounded like he was trying to change the subject. Maybe he was.

                “Yeah. They brought Jason in and started to train him as well so they could pit us against each other. We ended up escaping together. Sent information on the Court’s operations to Batman and ran.”

“And you’re here now, with us. With the team. Doing good and all that. That counts for something, right?”

                “I hurt people for them. I _killed_ for them. You have no idea what kind of person I am. What kind of monster,” Dick spun to face him, the intensity of his gaze almost making Wally flinch away. “The Team is right to suspect me of being the mole. Hurting people is what I’m good at, after all. It’s what I _am._ The Court always said it was what I was created for, my purpose. My nature. You couldn’t even really blame me if I did betray you. It would be your own fault for being stupid enough to trust something like me.”

                “But I do trust you,” Wally said. Dick glared at him, not seeming to believe it. Wally wasn’t sure how he had found out about the team’s suspicions, though, with his little brothers’ paranoia it shouldn’t have really surprised him. “You wouldn’t betray us. Whatever you did in the past, that’s not what you are.”

                “So, what, I’m just supposed to forget all about it?” Dick scoffed. Wally hesitated, not knowing what to say. How the hell is he supposed to respond to his friend revealing he used to be an assassin? Dick continued on when Wally didn’t respond. “I know what I’m capable of. Now you know as well. Don’t try to tell me that this doesn’t change anything.”

                “I’m still going to trust you. I’m not going to say that your past doesn’t matter, because obviously it matters a lot to you. But. . .” Wally said. He paused. Dick was tense next to him. It felt like if Wally said the wrong words Dick would bolt. “You help Damian with his homework, even though you both know he can do it by himself and just wants an excuse to spend time with you. You listen to Tim’s technobabble that everyone else just tunes out after a while. You do everything you can to protect Jason, even when he’s being a pain. You’ve laughed so hard at my jokes that milk has literally come out of your nose, and don’t think I haven’t noticed that, in the field, you watch every member of the team and step in the moment someone looks like they’re getting overwhelmed. You keep talking about ‘what you are,’ but, from where I’m standing, what you are is a dedicated brother and a loyal friend.”

                “Loyal, huh,” Dick said softly. Wally eyed him, trying to figure out if he had said the right thing or, at the very least, not said the wrong thing. Dick still seemed tense, but he wasn’t leaving. That had to be a good sign, right? He wasn’t saying anything else, though. Wally waited a moment, the silence almost physically painful.

                “And, you know, that goes both ways. I hope you think I’m a loyal friend. Whatever you need, I’m there.”

                “And if it turns out your wrong? That I’m just waiting for a chance to stab you in the back?”

                “I told you. I trust you.”

                “But if you’re wrong?”

                “I’m not.”

                “You could be.”

                “Nope,” Wally said. Dick snorted, finally letting a part of the tension ease out of his shoulders. They sat another moment in silence, this one much less charged then the last. Dick stood up and Wally followed a second after.

                “You really are an idiot, aren’t you,” Dick said, not meeting his eyes. There was a slight smile on his face, but it seemed sad. Or maybe resigned. Wally wasn’t sure what to make of it, so he just shrugged and followed a step behind as they made their way back towards the others.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This is a little later than I wanted it to be up, but it's also a little longer. I hope you enjoy! Thank you to everyone who has/will leave a comment or kudos. It means a lot to me. The real action will start up next chapter:)

Dick was aware that ignoring problems until they went away didn’t generally work in the case of ultimatums given by assassins. Unless the assassin was Damian, in which case it was possible to distract him with video games or animals to at least get him to put whatever his grudge against Tim was on the back burner for a little while. Somehow, Dick didn’t think the same strategy would work with William Cobb.

                He didn’t say much on the way back to the cave. Jason definitely noticed. He kept shooting Dick glances. He didn’t try to ask what was wrong; Jason wouldn’t want to have any sort of emotional conversation in front of the Team. Jason just kept glaring at Wally, and occasionally murmuring something to Damian before glaring at Wally when they thought Dick wasn’t watching. Wally noticed his silence as well, but didn’t seem to want to push him after their conversation. _He revealed too much, what the hell had he been thinking._

                There were too many variables. Too many moving parts to try to come up with any sort of a plan. Either betray the team and return to the court—abandon his friends and family in order to save them, become once again the monster he had worked so hard to put behind him—or refuse and wait for the Court to extract vengeance on him and everyone he loved. It was a catch-22 with everything at risk.

                Dick walked a bit behind the team. He wasn’t sure what Wally had told the others to get them to give him a little breathing room, but he was grateful for it. Even more so for whatever was keeping Tim’s sharp gaze focused on his communicator screen and ignoring Damian, which made Damian angry enough to be distracted and yelling at him, which in turn caused pretty much everyone in the team to not give his silence a second thought.

                “You aren’t telling us something,” Jason said from behind him, once they had arrived back at the Cave and out of hearing distance of the others. Dick didn’t bother to turn around. He had known Jason was there, and had been waiting for him to say something when he decided they were far enough away from the rest of the team to have an actual conversation. Dick shrugged and continued walking, putting more distance between the two of them and the rest of the team. It would probably only be a couple minutes before Damian and Tim were at each other’s throats and the team was calling him in to help so he needed to make the most of it.

                “Are you ready to run?” Dick asked softly. He needed them to be safe, if nothing else.

                “What?” Jason asked. His eyes widened. “What happened? What’s going on?”

                “Just answer. Do you have everything together to leave?” Dick said. “Also, passports. Really good fakes, the last thing you want to do is draw suspicion at the border. Or maybe talk to Tim about hacking the Zeta Tubes again? It would be risky, he’d have to make sure to set a false trail, but—”

                “Wait, hold up. Dick, what’s going on?” Jason shoots back. “This isn’t about what happened with Wally, right?”

                “We’ll probably have to stop back at the apartment, but make it brief. It would be. . .Wait, what about Wally?”

                “What? I didn’t say anything.”

                “What did you. . .never mind. Not important right now. You need to get Damian and Tim ready to leave.”

                “Yes. Got it. You know that I am ready,” Jason said. Dick relaxed imperceptivity, but Jason’s glare turned hard. “As soon as you tell me why.”

                “You would be in too much danger if you stay. I can’t say more. Not here,” Dick mumbled. He watched Jason apprehensively, begging him to just accept his words and get the hell away from anything the Court had ever been near.

                “Alright, fine. Don’t tell me,” Jason huffed. He looked to be a moment away from dragging up their old argument about withholding information. An argument they didn’t have time for.

                “You need to tell Damian and Tim. Get them back to the apartment, quickly. Grab everything you need and get out. As quickly as you can,” Dick said. Jason frowned.

                “Why are you making it sound like you aren’t coming with us?” Jason said. His voice was kept even, but he wouldn’t meet Dick’s eyes.

                “I have something I need to do. Then I’ll meet up with you.” The lie felt heavy leaving Dick’s mouth. Jason frowned. Dick silently willed him to take the words. It was clear he wasn’t going to. Unless Dick gave him something else. “Trust me. When have I ever let you down?” Dick’s heart sank as he could see Jason’s expression soften slightly. A small smile formed on Jason’s face.

                “Well, there was the one time you watched the Star Trek season finale without us, and you keep putting empty cereal boxes back in the cupboard, but I see your point,” Jason said. Dick cracked a smile that he knew Jason could tell was faked.

                “Grab Damian and Tim and get ready to run. Look out for them,” Dick said. Jason nodded. He started walking, almost getting to the door before he stopped.

                “What the hell am I supposed to tell them when you aren’t there?” Jason said, biting his lower lip. Dick sighed and pressed his hands over his face, unwilling to meet Jason’s gaze.

                “Tell them I’ll meet up with you soon.”

                “Is that a lie?” Jason’s voice, usually so steady in his conviction, stuttered slightly.

                “No.” _Yes._

                Dick turned before Jason could say anything else and walked out the door, back towards the team. It would look suspicious if they all left so suddenly, and this gave a convenient excuse for him to stay behind while Damian and Tim would hopefully follow Jason without too much complaint or suspicion. Besides, he had something to say to Wally before it all came crashing down around him.

                “KF, you still need to show me that great diner you were talking about,” Dick said, walking into the group with a carefully constructed aura of ease. Wally smirked. Being the only one of the team who knew of Dick’s dual identity and the scam he had tried to pull, talking casually about the diner had become something of an inside joke between them. One of the many things Dick was going to miss.

                “Yeah. Let’s go right now,” Wally said. Dick had figured that Wally would have enough perception to realize that Dick wanted to talk about something else. They said their farewells to the team and headed out through the Zeta Tube, coming out in the transporter near the diner instead of the one closer to Dick’s apartment where Jason, Damian, and Tim had just gone.

                The two of them walked in silence for longer than Dick expected Wally to be able to hold his tongue. Dick tried not to think about his brothers. How he didn’t even really get to say goodbye. How he hoped they would be able to forgive him someday. Instead, he played with the knife in his right hand, flicking it in and out of its hiding place in his sleeve. He always carried one on him, though he preferred to use the escrima sticks nowadays. They were less lethal, and less steeped in memories.

                The Court had given him two options, but there was a third. Strike first, and pray that his brothers would have time to get away.

                “I just wanted to say. . .thank you. For trusting me,” Dick said. He scuffed his shoe on the ground. “And, I think you made the right choice.”

                “It wasn’t a choice at all,” Wally grinned. He slung an arm over Dick’s shoulder. Dick allowed himself a small smile. He could have this, right? For just a little while longer?

                Suddenly, Dick tensed. Wally straightened, and opened his mouth to ask what was wrong when Dick silenced him with a brief glance and whirled around. Something was wrong. He couldn’t pinpoint how he knew, but he had survived long enough not to dismiss his instincts. Someone was here.

“You disappoint me, Gray Son of Gotham.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I live!! I am so sorry for the long gap between chapters. Especially since I left you guys on a cliffhanger. Unfortunately, real life interfered. But, it's here now. I hope anyone who has stuck with this story will think that it was worth the wait! As always, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated. I am going to try to get another chapter up this weekend, but if that doesn't happen I won't have time to write until after Christmas. Also I may have done the cliffhanger thing again. Whoops.

“Wally, you need to get out of here,” Dick whispered.

               “No. Talon, I believe your little friend here should be present for this.” William Cobb stepped out of the shadows, the oranges and blacks of the Talon uniform becoming apparent. Dick pulled his knives out and stepped in front of Wally, trying to conceal the tremor in his hands with a flourish of the blade.

               “Who is this freak? Why is he calling you Talon?” Wally looked frantically between them. Cobb doesn’t pay him any mind, just continues slowly circling around them, forcing Dick to shift position in order to be between him and Wally.

               “The Court gave you a choice. It seems you have chosen,” Cobb said. Dick tensed, preparing for an attack. How did. . . Had Cobb been following him? “And you did not make the smart choice. Not surprising considering you missed a simple bug.”

               “I have made my choice,” Dick said, kicking himself. How could he have been so stupid? He had wanted time. Time to plan an attack, time to make sure Jason got the others as far away as he could. They needed time for that head start.

               “Any chance you will reconsider? Do I have to remind you of the consequences of your refusal?” Cobb said. Dick hesitated. Could he bluff his way out of this? Win his brothers a little more time? Cobb smirked at the hesitation, sending a chill running down Dick’s spine and a flow of memories. A knife, pressed from Cobb’s hand into his. A man, tied up. Cobb guiding his hand to the man’s throat. That smile. _The Court of Owls has sentenced you to die_ — “I can forget about everything I just heard. The children you insist on carting around with you are safe. Just prove your loyalty. Kill that one.”

               “No.” Dick didn’t think about it. He stepped forward with the knife. If he couldn’t choose his moment to strike, then he would just have to make the most of the situation that he was in. Cobb mirrored the motion, drawing a knife of his own. Dick had been running for long enough. Time to dig his heels in and stand. Time to give Cobb a reason to fear _him_.

               “Can we all just take a moment and talk about this without knives please?” Wally said as he ran forward, Dick only catching the beginnings of the movement from the experience he had from the time they had spent training together. Cobb did not even have a chance of reacting quickly enough before the knife was snatched from his hand. “Explain what is going on and why you want me dead, pretty please.”

               “I do not particularly care if you live or die until the Court of Owls commands otherwise,” Cobb said stiffly, eying the speedster. Dick saw Wally stiffen as he started to put the pieces together of who Cobb was from the mention of the Court of Owls. “I merely thought it would be a good way for Talon to prove his loyalty once again.”

               “Umm. . .Ouch. I am a little offended,” Wally snarked. Dick surprised himself by having to suppress a chuckle of his own. Wally turned to Dick with a big grin on his face. “We are taking this guy down, right? Can we get on that?”

               “Yeah. Let’s,” Dick said. He felt a grin of his own tug on the sides of his mouth. Not huge like Wally’s, but present. Wally lifted his hand and Dick returned the fist bump with little hesitation.

               Dick moved forward, Wally mirroring a step behind. After his time working with the Team as Nightwing, the time with his brothers at his side, he was getting used to someone watching his back. Maybe he was screwed later, when he had to leave to try to take on the rest of the Court.

Maybe that would come back to haunt him one day, but, for now at least, he decided to simply choose to be grateful that someone was there.

               The movements were easy. Practiced. He had spared against Cobb for years, and, without the frantic panic of their earlier confrontation, with someone else fighting with him, it was easier. It worked. But it wouldn’t for much longer. He had to end this, before Wally could get hurt, before his brothers lost whatever head start he bought them with his blood. He could do this. He moved forward, trusting Wally to deflect Cobb’s other knife before it could get to him. An exposed throat. Dick lunged forward again, Cobb’s attention taken by Wally’s flashy movements. His knife buried into the soft flesh, almost to the hilt of the blade. Cobb gagged, blood pouring from his mouth and his throat before lunging forward in a desperate, wild stroke. Dick dodged out of the way and That would keep Cobb down for a little while at least. Maybe long enough, just maybe. 

               “What the fuck,” Wally said, stepping backwards, his eyes wide. Dick blinked. Blood dripped down his hands as Cobb slumped to the ground at his feet. He realized he was shaking.

               “This isn’t—he—I didn’t—” Dick tried to speak, tried to force the right words out. Wasn’t it exactly what it looked like, though? Didn’t he try to warn Wally that this is what he was? He could feel the blood on his hands and found himself thinking foggily that he would have to wash them before he made dinner for his brothers, then remembered that that wouldn’t be an issue because he couldn’t go home. Not with the Court actively hunting him down.

               “Okay. Okay. Okay,” Wally said, sounding increasingly panicked. He ran his hands through his hair, messing it up even further. “Just breath right now.” Dick wasn’t sure if the comment was directed at him or at Wally himself.

               “Talons, they don’t die like that,” Dick said, finally avoiding choking on the words. He wasn’t sure exactly how long the two of them had been standing facing each other in mild to moderate levels of panic. Too long. He had wasted time trying to explain, time that he didn’t have. He needed to deal with Cobb, now. Needed to chain him up, arrest him. _Chop off his head,_ the darker voice in the back of Dick’s mind whispered.

               “They heal,” said a gravely voice. The only warning Dick had that Cobb was back was the slash of a knife against his calf. Dick had enough practice not to cry out, but he still staggered backwards in surprise. That gave Cobb all the time and space he needed to rise to his feet and face them again. “Or at least the complete ones do. Our work in progress is still as vulnerable as ever.”

               “Okay. That’s happening now,” Wally said. He raced over to stand shoulder to shoulder with Dick. Dick tried not to put too much thought into what was going on in Wally’s head when he looked at him now. The two of them braced for another onslaught from Cobb, but it didn’t come. Instead, the man leaned back on his heels, taking a more relaxed posture.

               “Did you really think I would come alone, Talon?” Cobb said. Dick tensed, his eyes scanning the area. He hadn’t sensed anyone else’s presence, but he didn’t trust himself not to screw up while distracted by what was essentially a literal demon from his past. Cobb chuckled softly, no real joy there, but no other emotion either. “Not here. You knew what the price for your disobedience was. We have sent people to collect. They should be finishing up right around. . .” An explosion went off a few blocks away. “Now.”


	14. Chapter 14

Jason wasn’t even sure why Tim and Damian were at each others’ throats this time. They had been squabbling on the way back from the circus mission, but he had been too focused on Dick’s obvious distraction to really pay even the minimal amount of attention. After being around the two of them for this long, he didn’t really listen unless blood was drawn. Honestly, he couldn’t even say with complete confidence that Tim and Dami still remembered what they were fighting about.

“We have to run,” Jason whispered to Tim and Damian as soon as they were out of the Zeta tube and on their way back to their apartment. Jason found himself echoing the first words the Dick ever spoke to him, back when they were with the Court.  Suddenly, the bickering stopped.

“What’s wrong?” Tim asked in a hushed voice. Jason winced, hoping that the sudden change in their behavior wouldn’t tip off any members of the team still paying attention to them.

“I’ll explain on the way. We have time to stop by the apartment before we run,” Jason said. It was a lie, obviously. He had no explanations to offer them. But if it was a lie that would get them on their way with minimal protest and hopefully buy him some time to think of something better, then it was more than worth it. Their belief that he had more information than they did was the only reason the brats were following him. Had he told them the truth, that he didn’t have any more of a clue as to why they suddenly had to leave the country and that Dick may or may not actually be joining them, there was no way they would have gone along with it. May or may not be, huh, Jason thought to himself. As if he didn’t know the answer.

Tim and Damian followed him, thankfully putting whatever their argument had been on hold for a couple of minutes. Jason managed to make his goodbyes to the rest of the team without setting off too many alarm bells in their heads. Or, at least, he hoped he did. He must have been imagining the weird look that Artemis gave them on their way out. She was probably just wondering how he managed to get Tim and Dami to shut up. And it definitely was just a weird coincidence that Wally had left at the same time that Dick had. There was no way that Dick would trust Wally with his secrets when he wouldn’t trust his brothers.

“Tell me what has happened,” Damian growled to him the moment they were on the other side of the zeta and heading back towards their apartment.

“Something came up. We are compromised.”

“What came up?” Tim asked. His voice shook a little. “I thought we were safe now.”

“Ha. If you had the training of a proper assassin you would know better,” Damian jeered. “You show your weakness in letting your guard down, allowing your enemies the perfect chance to strike.”

“Yeah, if you are so prepared, do you know what the hell is going on?” Tim snapped back, and Jason watched Damian’s smug expression falter for a moment.

“Enough, both of you,” Jason snapped, then berated himself. Dick wouldn’t have snapped at them. The two of them looked at him with a kind of desperation he hadn’t seen on them since the day a few months ago when they found that Dick had apparently been abducted by a group of teenage superheroes. If only this problem could be solved with something as easy as storming a base, guns blazing. He could do that. Making up a convincing enough lie to get them to abandon Dick? That wasn’t his area of expertise. Usually it was Dick lying to them for their own good, and, as much as he despised that, he wished he had that power now.

“Jason, just tell us what’s going on. Please,” Tim said.

“I don’t have all the information,” Jason admitted. He could almost feel their frustration building up. They needed to hurry. The sooner they got back to the apartment, the sooner he can make something up to separate them so he can double-back and help Dick. “Dick just told me to get out. He said he will meet up with us.”

“You didn’t think to ask where the danger is coming from? Imbecile,” Damian snarled at him.

“When and where is Dick meeting us?” Tim asked at about the same time. Jason hurried them along on the walk to their apartment.

“Shut the hell up and move,” Jason ordered. “There’ll be time for that later.” His order seemed to have the opposite effect, though, as Tim stopped dead. Jason whirled around to glare at him, hoping to intimidate him.

“Dick’s not coming, is he?” Tim asked softly, and damn that kid’s insight. It was probably going to get him killed some day.

“Tt. Stop being so moronic, Drake. That’s ludicrous,” Damian snarled, before turning to Jason, waiting for a counter to Tim’s statement. Jason didn’t respond.

Jason knew two things about Dick with absolute certainty. First, Dick would always do what he thought was best for his family. Second, Dick wasn’t above lying, not when he thought it was for their safety. And especially not when it was him that was in trouble. So, Jason had to believe that Dick thought that the best course of action was getting the kids somewhere else. He trusted Dick’s judgement to that extent at least. When it came to making judgements about his own safety, that was where Jason had to step in.

“We aren’t going,” Tim said when Jason’s silence confirmed his suspicions. Damian nodded, for once in total agreement.

“Yes, you are. I’ll go back for him,” Jason said. There had never been any doubt in that part at least. Dick was the kind of person who would jeopardize an escape plan to save a stupid street kid who hated his guts. Jason wasn’t Dick, but he wasn’t going to leave him behind.

“You aren’t going alone,” Tim insisted. Jason sighed and ran his hands through his hair. Of course he was going alone, even if it meant locking Tim and Dami somewhere that they couldn’t follow him. That was the way it worked. Dick never knew when to stop, when to ask for help. He just flew into self-sacrifice mode trying to save everyone and it was Jason’s job to step in when it got too bad. He wasn’t always able to fix whatever the problem was, but at least he made sure Dick didn’t have to face it alone. Jason didn’t want to face this alone, either, whatever it was. But he couldn’t throw Tim and Dami into the fire with them.

“We are coming with you,” Damian said, taking his katana and pointing it at Jason. Jason almost wanted to laugh. The kid should have figured out by now that he couldn’t threaten Jason into compliance, but he had a stubborn streak almost as bad as Dick’s.

“You are going to need backup,” Tim wheedled. Unbidden, Jason’s mind flew back to the new team of pseudo-superheroes they had become entangled with. He thought about his ongoing good-natured marksmanship competition with Artemis, about teaching Kaldur and Connor how to play card games late in the evening after a long training session, about trying M’gann’s various experiments in baking. About how Dick smiled, really smiled, when Wally cracked a stupid joke.

“Fine,” Jason said. He abruptly turned around and started walking back the way they came.

“Aren’t we going to grab stuff from the apartment?” Tim asked, almost jogging to keep up with him.

“Not yet. First we need reinforcements.”


	15. Chapter 15

Damian had resigned himself to being surrounded by commoners, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t going to complain about it. He might have refrained if the hoi poloi surrounding him were not so completely, utterly, totally useless.

               “Wait, back up and explain what’s going on again,” Kaldur said.

               “What else is there to explain?” Damian interjected before Jason could say another word. “Nightwing needs our assistance, and you are going to provide that backup. We need to go now!” He barely restrained himself from stomping his foot at the declaration, something Drake had made fun of him for as childish behavior. Damian was many things, but he was not a child and refused to behave in a way that would give others that impression.

               “We need more information than that. We don’t even know who we are fighting, for crying out loud,” Artemis said. Damian turned to yell at her, but hesitated when he saw that she was already getting her bow and arrows ready as she was talking. His hesitation was enough time for Drake to butt in, unwanted as always.

               “They are called the Court of Owls,” Drake said, and this time Damian turned his glare on his so-called brother. Damian knew Drake was a fool, but he had, apparently wrongly, assumed that he had at least enough intelligence to refrain from mentioning the Court. Even Todd, who usually bought into Drake’s mask of fake intellect turned to him with a blank expression that signified displeasure. “Nightwing and Red Hood had a run in with them a while back. We think they are out for revenge.”

               “They are bad people then?” Miss Martian asked.

               “Obviously,” Damian rolled his eyes at the woman’s idiocy.

               “Very bad, yeah,” Todd mumbled. Damian spared him a glance, surprised by his tone. Usually, Todd would get angry at something like this, but Damian hadn’t caught even a hint of irritation, not even when Todd had first been explaining the situation to the group. His fists were clenched behind his back and, though he was facing straight ahead, head unbowed, he didn’t make eye contact with anyone on the team. It occurred to Damian for the first time that Todd was afraid. A quick glance at Drake’s worried expression as he looked at their older brother confirmed that the other boy had already picked up on what Damian was just now realizing. Damian’s scowl deepened.

               “Where is Nightwing now?” Superboy asked. Damian gave him a small nod of approval. Finally, someone gets to the point.

               “I’ve been scanning for him. The last time a streetcam caught him he was on the corner of Second and Hallinders, but then all the cameras in the area went out and he’s disabled the trackers on his tech. And he found the ones that I snuck into his costume,” Drake said. Todd and Damian both started. The street corner was fairly close to their apartment. “Is he actually going back there?”

               “That’s the only lead we have, currently,” Kaldur said. “So we will pursue that until something else turns up.”

               “So, you peasants finally decided to see sense and listen to us,” Damian accused. He couldn’t believe the team had taken as long as they did, not when Grayson was in danger and depending on them to help him.

               “I don’t know about the Owl thing, but it’s clear we have to find Nightwing as soon as possible, right?” Kaldur said.

               “Yeah. He’s going to do something stupid,” Jason said.

               “Have you been able to get in touch with Wally?” M’gann asked. Damian growled at the mention of the name. “He left with Nightwing, so he was probably the last one to see him and might have a better idea of what he’s planning.”

               “It’s not like Nightwing would trust that _imbecile_ with his plans,” Damian began, but then trailed off as he remembered what they had found out last night. Grayson had apparently trusted West enough to tell him about the circus. He hadn’t even told Damian about the circus for months, not until Damian had convinced him to let him come with him sometimes and he and Drake both needed codenames of some sort. Grayson had suggested Robin and its variation for the two of them, and the solemnity in his voice had kept Damian from immediately dismissing the name. Grayson had told them the story of the circus, of his parents, and of why the name had meaning. Though Damian would never admit it out loud, it had meant something to him that, so soon after being severed from the legacy he grew up with in the League of Assassins, he was invited to be a part of Grayson’s history. And then Grayson went and gave that story away to some idiot wanna-be superhero who he only met recently like it was nothing. He wouldn’t trust West with something he wouldn’t trust Damian with. Right?

               “I just tried, but the message wouldn’t go through. Could he be in the same communication blackout as Nightwing right now?” M’gann asked. Damian scowled at her, readying a rebuttal, when Kaldur interjected.

               “We’ll find out when we get there. Our best lead currently is your apartment, so we’ll go there first. If we can’t find them there, we’ll come up with something else,” Kaldur said, stepping into the leadership role of wrangling the group that even Damian had to grudgingly admire him for, even if it was obvious that Grayson or Damian himself would be a superior leader. Kaldur put a hand on Todd’s shoulder. “We’ll find him. We’ll keep him safe. You did the right thing coming to us.”

               The team left, with Todd hesitating a moment behind them. Damian was just close enough to hear him whisper something to himself, something that sounded an awful lot like “God, I hope so.”


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to everyone who has or will read this! I treasure every comment and kudos:)

He had sent his brothers back to the apartment.  
“I told you there would be consequences for your little rebellion,” Cobb said, walking up behind him and putting a hand on his shoulder almost paternally.   
The apartment was in flames.  
“Get the hell away from him,” Wally growled, striking out at Cobb. Cobb pulled away, dragging Dick between himself and Wally.   
The apartment was in flames.  
“Come on, now,” Cobb whispered in his ear. “What have you got to lose? No one left to keep up the charade of being this big hero for, not anymore. You’ve had your diversion for long enough. It is time to come back home. It is time for you to become what you have were always meant to be.”  
He had sent his brothers back to the apartment.  
“Dick, don’t listen to him. We have to go, now. We can still get them out,” Wally said, his eyes shifting from the apartment, in flames, to Dick, not moving and in the hands of the enemy. Dick watched him passively. Wally didn’t know the Court like he did. He had thought that Cobb had come alone, though they had time to get out before Cobb’s reinforcements arrived, but he had not. He had brought other Talons with him. Dick knew better than almost anyone alive how deadly of assassins the Talons were. If his brothers had been anywhere in the vicinity of the apartment when the Talons arrived, they would be dead. And they had been there. Dick had sent them there.  
“You were born to have blood on your hands. You cannot exist without taking life. Not when it is your purpose,” Cobb said, and it to Dick that he might be right. He was much calmer than he thought he’d be, in those nightmares where he imagined a situation like this. He was going to have more blood on his hands soon, yes, but it would not be from the enemies of the Court. He had spent years working to make himself better, to try to make up for all of the terrible things he had done. He had tried to make himself into a good role model for his brothers, but not just for them. He had wanted to be a better person for himself. That was what had driven him to take Jason with him when he escaped from the Court. That was what drove him to take Damian and Tim in when he found them without anywhere else to go. That was what made him eventually join a team of superheroes. After all that struggle, all that work, all those years, his decision to kill William Cobb seemed strangely anticlimactic.   
A knife sinking into flesh can be one of the most satisfying feelings in the world. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the right knives—those would have been the blades attached to the gloves he wore as Talon, but these would do. Dick faintly heard Wally cheer, and noted that he had no idea what he was cheering for, or even for whom.   
Cobb didn’t cry out when the blade struck him, nor did he give any response to the brutal kick that followed. That was alright. There would be plenty of time for that later.   
“Just hold on for a couple minutes, I’ll be right back,” Wally said. Dick didn’t give a response, electing instead to launch himself at Cobb again, slashing his knife across the man’s stomach before he could react. An arc of blood followed the knife, but Dick could already see the wounds he’d inflicted started to heal. He’d have to move faster. Wally ran off in the other direction, towards the burning apartment.   
“You can’t win this. Why bother fighting?” Cobb asked. Another slash. This time Cobb caught Dick’s knife with his own, twisting his momentum and throwing him off balance. Dick tried to take a step backwards to steady himself, but Cobb moved a beat faster, lunging forward with his own knife and halting just next to Dick’s throat. “You have gotten weak. Sloppy, and foolish, and weak. But this doesn’t have to be the end. Just come with me now. The Court is waiting for you.”  
Dick growled, sidestepping slightly and jumping forward again, heedless of Cobb’s knife slashing his arm as he advanced. He needed to keep calm. The iciness that had overtaken him as soon as the apartment exploded was the only way he would be able to get this done. He could beat Cobb, he fought him to a draw before. And now there was no reason to hold back.   
Another strike. Another block. It felt almost like sparing. He hated that. He enjoyed sparing. This shouldn’t feel anything similar. But it was obvious that Cobb was just baiting him, leading him somewhere. Did it matter where? The icy sharpness way gone, leaving in its wake a dull muteness encasing the entire world. He wasn’t moving fast enough. A thrown blade from Cobb caught him in his shoulder, and he couldn’t even try to use the brief opening while Cobb drew another knife. He was going to die. The thought didn’t elicit as much emotion as part of him felt it should. Maybe Cobb would keep him alive and bring him back to the Court to become Talon once again, or maybe he wouldn’t. It didn’t much matter, at this point. Dick Grayson was going to die.  
Cobb pushed him up against the wall of the building next to him, gripping his arm and forcing his knife to clatter to the pavement. Cobb snarled at him, slamming him against the wall again. Dick’s head snapped back, connecting hard with the building, and his vision blurred slightly.   
“Get away from him!” Dick heard Wally’s voice. Or maybe he just imagined he did. Then, Cobb was pushed away from him as if a force had just collided with him, and Wally stood in front of him. He half turned, a small grin on his face, when he saw Dick properly. Wally reached out a hand to steady him, his eyes drifting from Dick’s expression to the knife still sticking out of his shoulder then back. “Dick, they’re okay. They weren’t in the apartment. I just saw them, they’re on their way here.”  
Dick stared at Wally, for the first time since the explosion had occurred daring to hope.


End file.
